Bill.



J. G. BELL.

BILL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY Z9, 1908.

Patented Sept. 27.1910.

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W/TNESSES v *fr ,son

JOHN C. BELL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

Application filed July 29, 1908. Serial No. 445,917.

To all whom it may conoer'nf Be it known that I, JOHN C. BELL, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in bills and more particularly to such as are adaptable for use by gas companies or other concerns furnishing` light or power to their customers, in rendering statements of account.

The object of my invention is to provide a bill which shall be so constructed that it can be rendered by the employee of the company when he takes the state of the meter and so that it will be impossible for the customer to alter the amount of the bill without the knowledge of the company.

A. further object is to so construct and arrange a bill of the character described that it can be prepared with a minimum amount of writing and so that it can be receipted and stubs furnished for the use of the company in posting its books, in a minimum amount of time.

Tith these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawing is a view of a 01as bill embodying' my improvements and having` indicated thereon lines on which the parts of the bill may be severed.

1 represents a gas bill having, at an intermediate part thereof, the designation of the companys name. In this intermediate portion of the bill is printed in two lines words relating to a former reading of a meter and to the reading of the meter at the time the bill is rendered. In the case of a gas bill these designations will relate to cubic feet and will be filled out in accordance with the readings of the meter at the two periods mentioned. Below the above designations of meter readings is another designation of cubic feet which, when filled out will indicate the difference between said meter readings and therefore state the number of cubic feet of gas which has been consumed during the period for which the bill is rendered. In this lower line of designations may also be indicated the price of gas,-such for instance as $1.10 per one thousand cubic feet. Below the designations above described a space 2 is left in which the name and address of the consumer are written and in this space may also be indicated the ledger and page in which the particular account is kept.

t the extreme left of the bill a portion 3 is provided and forms when severed part of an auditors coupon or stub, and at the extreme right of the bill a cashiers stub l is provided and arranged with a space to receive the dateren which the bill may be discounted as designated by the context and also designed to receive data indicating the ledger and page thereof where the account may be found.

At the left of the body portion l of the bill four, more or less, blocks of figures are printed alternately in different colors. The block 5 of figures (printed in red) comprises two columns. The column 6 of this block comprises figures or designations of amounts of money counting from 11 cents at the bottom to 5153.30 at the top and indicating the gross amount of the bill, in accordance with the number of cubic feet of gas consumed which is indicated by the figures in column 7. Thus if 3,000 feet of gas be consumed, the gross price at $1.10 per thousand will be $3.30 as indicated at the top of column 6. The next block 8 of figures (printed in black) comprises four columns, a, o, c, al, the columns a, o, having the same designations and significance as the columns of figures 6 7 of the block 5, except that said columns a, Z), of block 8l are arranged in reverse order to the columns of block 5, so that the column 7 of block 5 in which cubic feet are indicated and the column o of block 8 in which cubic feet are indicated will be adjacent to each other. The figures of the column c of block 8 indicate the amounts of discount if the bill is paid within a specified time, and the figures of column al represent the amounts of a bill when the same has been discounted. Thus, if 3,000 cubic feet of gas has been consumed, the amount of discount will be 30 cents, as indicated at the top of column o, and the amount of the discounted bill will be $3.00, as indicated at the top of column d. The block of figures 11 is printed in red and the columns of this block constitute continuations of the columns of block 5. Similarly the block of columns 12 which is printed in black, constitutes a continuation of the block of columns S.

At the right of the body portion 1 of the bill f'our blocks of columns of figures and designations 13, 14, 15 and 16 are printed and are duplicates of the blocks of columns and designations 5, 8, 11 and 12, above described.

Let it be assumed that the gas company is to issue a bill to John Doe and that the former reading of his meter was 7 0,100 cubic feet. The clerk at the gas ofce will write the customers name and address on the bill and also indicate that the former reading of the meter was 70,100 cubic feet. This bill will be taken to the rpremises of the customer and it is found that the present or last reading of the meter is 74,000 cubic feet. The companys employee finds that the difference between these two readings is 3,900 cubic feet which indicates the amount of gas consumed. rlhe companys employee will now sever the bill, with the use of a suitable instrument, on the line .fcand retain the auditors coupon thus formed. The bill which is left with the consumer will indicate by the figures 3.9 in the first column of blocl; 12 that 3,900 cubic feet of' gas has been consumed; that the gross cost of the gas consumed is 35h29, as indicated in the next column of block 12; that the amount of discount is 39 cents, as shown by the next column of' block 12, and that the net amount of the bill, if the latter is paid on or before the date indicated on the stub at the right hand end of the bill, is $3.90, as shown in the column of block 12 next to the body portion of the bill. The number of cubic feet of gas consumed and the gross amount of the bill are given to the auditor by t-he figures appearing in the columns of block 11 reading horizontally immediately above the point of severance on the line .fr-. If the bill be paid on or before the last discount day, the amount of the bill would be $3.90 and the clerlr at the gas oflice would sever the bill on the line jz/-g/, retain the stub 4 thus formed and deliver the remainder of the bill to the customer so as to constitute a receipt for him. The coupon t containing a portion of the block 16 will indicate to the cashier the data of the bill which has been paid.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. A bill of the character described, comprising a body portion suitably designated to indicate the name of a customer, said bill having at each side of its body portion, two blocks of figures, the figures of one column of each block suitably designated to indi cate the amount of fluid consumed and another column of each block suitably designated to indicate the charge for the fluid consumed, said bill suitably designated at one end to form an auditors stub and said bill suitably designated at the other end to form a cashiers stub severable with portions of said blocks of figures, and the remaining portions of said columns of figures forming parts of the body of the bill.

2. A bill of the character described, comprising a body portion suitably designated to indicate the name of a customer and also designated to contain meter readings, said bill provided at its respective ends with stubs suitably designated as auditors and cashiers stubs, said bill having at each side of the body portion and between the latter and said stub portions, a plurality of blocks of figures arranged in columns, the figures of the columns of certain of said blocks suitably designated to indicate successively, feet, gross, amount of bill, amount of discount and net amount of bill, and the figures of the columns of the other blocks suitably designated to indicate feet and the gross amount of the bill.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. BELL. Titnesses CHARLES L. EsHLEMAN, HARVEY MANSFIELD. 

